Animals have existed on Earth for many hundreds of millions of years. In that time they have evolved into a great variety of forms, exploiting nearly every habitat the planet has to offer. In the dark depths of the oceans, in the seemingly inhospitable Polar Regions, in the driest deserts, even within the bodies of other animals, there are animal species that have developed unique and extraordinary means of surviving and thriving. Extraordinary Animals: An Encyclopedia of Curious and Unusual Animals is an exploration of those members of the animal kingdom who possess strange and bizarre adaptations that allow them to survive in the most extreme environments, or whose complex lives can only be said to be bewildering. From the tar-baby termite to the blue whale, from the harpy eagle to the naked mole rat, these species reflect the exceptionally broad spectrum of life, showing just how diverse the animal kingdom is. Extraordinary Animals has been thoroughly researched for scientific accuracy, but is accessibly written in everyday language. Each entry includes a description of the animal, an explanation of its odd behavior, other interesting scientific and trivial facts, and black and white illustrations. In addition, a fun and interactive Go Look section encourages readers to go look for the animals in the outside world.

With humor and flair, Michael Hearst introduces the reader to a wealth of extraordinary life-forms. Which animal can be found at the top of Mount Everest, 10,000 feet under the sea, and in your backyard? Which animal poops cubes? Which animal can disguise itself as a giant crab? These fascinating facts and hundreds more await curious minds, amateur zoologists, and anyone who has ever laughed at a funny-looking animal. This book is also available in a multi-touch version, which is specially formatted for the iPad.

Long snouts, bright-red lips, pointy heads . . . the animal kingdom is full of critters with unique features. Learn about the incredible adaptations that help these creatures—and their odd bods—survive and thrive all around the globe!

An illustrated look at the weird and wonderful creatures that live in the very deepest parts of the sea. Humans have always wondered, with a mixture of fear and fascination, what lurks beneath the surface in the depths of the ocean. In this book, Erich Hoyt introduces 50 of the oddest creatures you will ever meet in the sea. From the carnivorous comb jelly to the lantern-carrying deep-sea dragonfish, from a vampire squid with giant eyes to dancing jellyfish, Hoyt explores these peculiar conditions and their equally peculiar environment. These creatures have adapted to lack of light and, using sound pulses (echolocation) or light-producing organs and pigment cells (emitting light via bioluminescence), they are able to communicate without giving their location away to predators. These stunning, captivating photographs weren't taken from the portholes of submarines. Photographers David Shale, Solvin Zanki and Jeff Rotman worked with oceanography institutes, museums and the BBC Natural History Unit, taking long cruises across the ocean to record and try to understand these little-studied residents of the deep sea. To capture the creatures for observation, a net was lowered far beneath the surface. As soon as the trawl was hauled aboard, the photographers would race to transfer the most unusual animals to fresh seawater aquariums in a chilled laboratory on board. These pages let readers gaze into strange, wild eyes and study faces with toothless or crooked smiles that witness the fruits of deep-sea evolution. Informative captions explain what the patterns of lights on their bodies are "saying" to others in their absolutely dark world. The wonder and extraordinary weirdness of what lives in the deep seas, so far away from us and yet so close, will become more familiar with this book.

A seaside eating contest. A cheating, song-stealing, all-around-no-good ex. And a chain-smoking unicorn doling out dating advice. What could possibly go wrong? It's time for the Seaside Family Fun Fair’s annual eating contests, and Zin's Circus of Unusual Creatures has been invited to perform as the feature act. Right from the start, trouble is brewing. Trouble that, to everyone’s surprise, has (almost) nothing to do with Fergus now referring to himself as The Love Guru. Besides foul moods over the weather, the decrepit state of the fun fair, and the sand wedging itself, well, everywhere, tempers truly flare when Molly’s ex-husband, Albert, shows up for the competition. Albert has a bad track record. He’s cheated in a previous eating contest, he’s stolen Molly the Mini-taur’s songs, and he’s got an ogre-sized secret that could destroy the fun fair. So, the moment the competition turns deadly, Duncan — dragon and amateur sleuth — has a long list of people who wouldn’t mind sending Albert six feet under. Problem is, two of Duncan’s friends are the most likely suspects. Matters only get worse when Duncan discovers Zin has agreed to a partnership that's smellier than a sack of rotting fish heads. And with Pepper so busy prepping food for the contest, she’s failed to keep up with Duncan’s omelet needs. Seriously, no dragon should have to sleuth in these conditions. Can Duncan find the killer before they strike again? Will Zin lose his circus to this partnership? What relationship disasters will Fergus cause? And what is up with those ogres? Find out in Beast or Famine, the latest installment of The Circus of Unusual Creatures Mystery series. ~ ~ ~ Although it's the fourth book in the series, Beast or Famine is a great way to jump into Circus of Unusual Creatures Mysteries. Set in a 1930s that’s just a tad different than what you’re used to, The Circus of Unusual Creatures is a delightfully humorous cozy mystery series that features a detecting dragon, an aura-spotting centaur, a chain-smoking unicorn, and plenty of other quirky characters getting into all kinds of trouble as they stumble their way through clues, crimes, and perfectly cooked omelets. If you like comic fantasy whodunnits that mix in laughs with murderous mayhem and mythical beasts, you’ll love, not only this silly story, but also the first three books in the series: Hoard It All Before, Tipping the Scales, and Fangs a Million. Story Note: While this cozy fantasy mystery is mostly clean, it does have a lusty, chain-smoking unicorn who makes more than a few naughty innuendos, a dragon who drinks, a tiny bit of mild swearing, and (obviously) there’s a murder or two along the way.

"Introduces the reader to a wealth of extraordinary life forms"-- P. [4] of cover.